So my chicks get here in 2.5 weeks and I brought the brooder in for a test run. The brooder is a large metal dog kennel covered in hardware cloth. I hooked up the heat lamp to see how warm it would get before I added the shavings. Good thing too as in less than 15 minutes I red-lined the thermometer! I have no idea how warm it actually got, but the thermometer ends at 130 degrees Fareneheit.
How the heck do you use a heat lamp without frying the chicks and burning the house down? The lamp is a 250w red brooder lamp. I have the heat lamp hanging inside the kennel. I suppose I can clip it to the top, but holy chickens, Batman! I'm really worried about burning down the house! Especially when I add a flammable substance (wood shavings)! SHould I give it up and go with a regular 100w light bulb. Won't the constant light cause the chicks to pick at each other?

I started my chicks with a 100 watt incandescent bulb, but they seemed so restless at night that I got the red infrared bulb from the pet store (look in the reptile department). They were much happier! Raise the light higher to reduce the temperature as they get older. Good luck!

The only time I ever use a 250 watt lamp is when they are outside in the nursery coop and it's the tail end of winter. In the house brooder, I only use a 125 watt lamp suspended above the brooder from the shower rod.

Is it not a bad idea to put a really hot light bulb over wood shavings? At very least the dust would coat the bulb and burn. I'm realy pumped about the chicks, but don't particularly want to burn the house down.
Clearly a lower wattage bulb would lessen the risk, but eek!

I'll run off to the petstore and buy yet another lamp. I got two of the 250w red bulbs just to be safe. Arg. That's what I get for trying to think ahead.